For a brief period of time there, all eyes were on Captain Marvel. With the announcement that Academy Award-winner Brie Larson would be playing Carol Danvers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, folks were all excited about the first female-centric superhero movie to come from Marvel Studios. There was even a period there where it seemed like there was a rumored candidate for a director for the movie every other week.

But then the trail went cold.

Fans have wondered what the hold up is, and why Captain Marvel suddenly fell off the radar. Wasn’t Marvel Studios interviewing candidates steadily in the middle of 2016? Isn’t there a script in place that enticed a rising star like Larson to sign on? What gives?!?

Well, according to a trusted reporter over at Variety, Marvel is in no rush to sign a director. Why? Because they’re still tinkering the script, and because of the simple fact that there are still several films for the studio to make before Captain Marvel gets her solo flick.

Here’s what they said:

@khevey6 Marvel in no rush, waiting to get a script they are happy with. No need to rush since PANTHER, INFINITY and ANT-MAN come before it

“Marvel in no rush,” Justin Kroll of Variety said. “Waiting to get a script they are happy with. No need to rush since [Black] Panther, [Avengers:] Infinity [War], and Ant-Man [and The Wasp] come before it.“

He’s got a point and, assuming he got this update straight from the horse’s mouth, it makes perfect sense.

The whole thing is further evidence of how Marvel’s approach varies so wildly from that of other studios. While other companies may want to have a director signed on from day one to help shape the project from its inception, Marvel Studios is known to take more of a TV approach towards their films. They work on the script internally, fit it into the overall blueprint for their expansive Shared Universe, get several of the building blocks together, and then they find a director who’ll work with the team to actually execute the plan.

That approach has its pros and its cons, of course, but no one can argue that it isn’t working out very well for Marvel.

So fans of Captain Marvel are just going to have to sit tight, as it may be a while until Marvel finds someone to sit in the driver’s seat of the car they’re building.

I still kinda wish they’d consider begging Joss Whedon to come back to the MCU for this, as I think he’d bring the perfect balance of elements to Captain Marvel. Though Ava DuVernay would be an interesting choice, too. You may recall that she once flirted with directing Black Panther for Marvel.

Joseph Jammer Medina is an author, podcaster, and editor-in-chief of LRM. A graduate of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Television, Jammer's always had a craving for stories. From movies, television, and web content to books, anime, and manga, he's always been something of a story junkie.

Subscribe

Copyrights and trademarks for the film and related entertainment properties mentioned herein are held by their respective owners and are used with permission or solely for the promotional purposes of said properties.